Archive By Section - Jan Moore column

Let's say a couple of hearty travelers from the North are driving through Statesboro for the first time on their way to Savannah. Like most, they exit Highway 80 on the west side of town opting to take the bypass.

Much has been made about the amount of new retail space that is being developed in and around Statesboro. There have been rumblings that maybe it is too much development at one time. Who is to say, but I thought it might be interesting to examine the status of two high profile developments and see how things have turned out for each.

The food beat goes on as two new restaurants prepare to open in Statesboro this week – Barberitos Southwestern Grille & Cantina in the Market District, and Wise Guys in the original Pizza Inn location on Highway 301 South.

Go to the southwest corner of Highway 67 and the Statesboro Bypass and you will see an object of curiosity for many residents. Immaculately cleared and prepped, the six acre prime commercial real estate site is ready for construction, but no formal announcement has been made as to what is going to be built there.

Regardless of how you feel about the banking community here in Bulloch County, you cannot deny it has been entertaining the last several years. In the last decade, local banks have been sold, new banks have been started, and bank executives and loan officers have played musical chairs, moving from one bank to another until they find themselves in just the right spot.

For the immediate future, the majority of major commercial development in Bulloch County is going to occur in the area I like to call, the "golden" quadrant – GQ. I use the term quadrant because the area is roughly a fourth of the "pie" created by the Bypass if the Bypass were complete, and golden because right now, it is the most valuable real estate in town. The GQ encompasses land in the immediate vicinity of the Statesboro Bypass stretching from Highway 80 east to Highway 301 South.

With the recent openings of Latte' Da and the Midtown Coffeehouse, I would argue that the bar has been raised, and to the delight of many of my local brethen, there may be no turning back. Each of these restaurants is very nice and upscale with an attention to detail that is superb.

Today is cold, hard facts day. We're talking single family residential construction and single family residential home sales here in Bulloch County. People may think this isn't exciting "stuff," but it really is.

History has shown that a vibrant downtown center is critical to a healthy metropolitan area. Examples of this are all around us – Savannah, Athens, Augusta, Columbus, and the granddaddy of them all, Atlanta. Simply put, nobody wants an apple with a rotten core. Statesboro was facing the possibility of a rotten core when its turn around began a few years ago.

Last week, the Statesboro Herald ran a poll on its website asking "Which restaurant chain would you like to see open in Statesboro?" The results, printed in this past Friday's paper, listed the Olive Garden as receiving the most votes, Red Lobster in second, and Outback and Hooters tied for third.

True to my word, I am here today to report on grocery stores. Is a new grocery store coming to Statesboro? That is still an unconfirmed rumor. However, what is not rumor, and is fact, is a small, upscale food market has opened on Broad Street in downtown Metter - aptly named the Broad Street Market.

I know it seems like I write a lot about restaurants, and you are right, I do. But, there is a very good reason for that. My kind readers have made it abundantly clear to me that their favorite topic is a new restaurant opening or a new grocery store "coming to town."

We all watched this summer as the Krystal hamburger era came to an abrupt end at its location near the entrance of Wal-Mart on Northside Drive in Statesboro. Franchise owner, Jeff Hook, was very vocal about his battle with the Krystal Corporation, and was clearly disappointed when he ended up on the losing end.